Drinking with Dickens - by Cedric Dickens (Paperback)

About the Book

There are vivid and memorable drinking scenes in all of Charles Dickens' works, and this book abounds in excerpts from the novels and in recipes for the drinks consumed in them.

Book Synopsis

Drinking with Dickens is a light-hearted sketch by Cedric Dickens, the great-grandson of Charles Dickens. There are vivid and memorable drinking scenes in Dickens' books, and Drinking with Dickens abounds in recipes, many based on the drinks of Dickensian England and America: Bishop, Dog's Nose, Hot Bowl Punch, Milk Punch, Mint Julep, Sherry Cobbler, Shrub and Negus, to mention only a few. Unbelievably it seems to be the first book on this vast and important subject, and Cedric has added some recipes and experiences of his own.
The Victorian sources include a penny notebook dated 1859 and kept by "Auntie Georgie," Georgina Hogarth, when she was looking after the younger children of Charles Dickens at Gads Hill. It starts with a recipe for Ginger Beer, a teetotal drink which calls for a quart of brandy!
Then there is the catalogue for the sale of Gads Hill after Charles Dickens died which shows what was in the cellar at that time.
This book transcends the generations. Cedric, with an eye for people and detail, describes a whole series of joyous episodes where drink, wisely taken, has been the catalyst.

Review Quotes

Drinking with Dickens is good fun, both as light reading and as a useful supplement to your library of mixology.... A combination of entertaining historical lore, quotations...and a collection of absolutely fascinating recipes.--John Linsenmeyer

If you like Dickens and drink, this is a pleasant, idle interlude.-- "The Boston Globe"

Recommended.-- "Food and Wine"

About the Author

Cedric Dickens' knowledge of the inns of his great-grandfather's London is second to none, and he shares his forebear's taste for "delectable drinks," "enlivening fluids" and "glorious jorums."